As the sun rose over the scarred, decaying Uasilands, a darkness still rested on the shoulders of Karimu and Kuwinda. They still couldn't believe what had happened the previous day, still delusional as to how they had even gotten this far.
Kwaheri and Jicho had gone back, hoping to find Kopa's body and lay him to proper rest. Karimu would have done the same, but she had to move on, needed to find out what was wrong with the Uasilands. Even now, as they strolled into the scarred, consumed land, her heart strained itself, torn between her love for Kopa and her duty as possibly the only surviving member of the Uasian royal family.
To rebuild this kingdom.
Wivu, on the other hand, had remained focused, leading the now male-less pride down the mountain and into the Uasilands. The crystallised Uasian Tower poked out over the distance, darkened by the large, foreboding, green-tinted clouds above.
Amani, resting on the snow-coated back of her mother, tiredly raised her head, the tears of the young cub still frozen into her fur. It was bad enough losing her brother, but her father too. The last thing she remembered was being surrounded in the blizzard, terrified, seemingly alone, cornered in by the icy embrace of death's chilling breeze.
"Momma?" The young cub struggled to speak; her constant crying had drained her body of energy. "When are Dad and Ulinzi coming back?" Her questions stabbed Karimu and Kuwinda in the heart. What could they say? The pair looked at each other, tears rolling down their faces as they did so.
"They're... gone, Amani." Karimu responded, lowering her head as her voice croaked, trying to stay in control.
"Gone where?" A sudden questioning burst of energy came through the cub, Karimu felt her daughter's head rise from her back, looking up at her mother. Kuwinda turned away from the lioness and her daughter, unable to hold back her tears. Amani noticed her aunt's breakdown, and turned back down to her mother, confused by the situation. "Why is Auntie crying?"
Karimu could not think of what to say. Wivu hurried up to Kuwinda to comfort her, the lioness quickly calmed, turning back to Karimu, tears still dampening her fur. The Uasian princess ignored her daughter's question, turning her attention to the depressing crystal monument in the distance…
She remembered her father telling her of its history, how it was forged using the roars of the founding mothers of the Uasi Pride. The same lionesses that rebelled against their male overlords had created the stable biarchy that had held for hundreds of years. Their whispers still audible to those who listened deeply, both into the tower, and themselves.
Her heart still pulsed with the cold chill of her loss. She couldn't help but think about Kopa and Ulinzi. She was a little bit bewildered as to what to do. She needed a king, Uasian tradition demanded it, for the crystal throne required a male and a female to sit upon its gleaming face to be complete.
The lioness' thoughts were cut short as a thunderous roar boomed across the skies, forcing all three lionesses to jump into a defensive position. Karimu's heart, in particular, jumped out of her chest. It couldn't be! Not now!
"NO! NO! NO! NO! NO!" She ran up the hill, stopping at its peak, tears pouring from her face. Kuwinda and Wivu followed suit, closely followed by a stumbling Amani. The sight that stood before her sent rumbles of fear through her fur, a small tear dripping from her eye.
"Karimu, What's wro-" Kuwinda rushed up the hill, only to see the same sight. The chilling feeling in her pelvis dropped further and further. "Oh no!"
Before them lay a pride of lions, at least six males along with fifteen lionesses. Several cubs cowered along with their mothers, seemingly frightened of their fathers. Four of the males, however, lay with the lionesses and the cubs, also seemingly worried of the other lions nearby.
The two other males, the most dominant of the six, had just rolled off of two of the lionesses, their bodies trembling in fear as they caught their breath. It was clear that the lionesses of this pride were being abused, forced to do the lion's biddings.
"What do we do?" Wivu sat, analysing the situation before them. Karimu continued to study the pride as well. She noticed the scars dotting the lionesses' fur, and even the recessive lions. They had indeed suffered greatly. She even recognised a few of them, all ex-members of the Uasi Pride, all adolescents since the last time she saw them. They had grown a bit, but the chaos that destroyed their pride had seemingly taken its toll as it had with her, and Kopa, in the long run.
"Stay here with Amani, Kuwinda." She turned to the huntress. Kuwinda seemed confused by the queen's request, questioning her motives as Karimu strolled away from them. The Uasian Princess knew what lions were like, though especially males. If they noticed Amani or Kuwinda's pregnancy, they would probably kill them. "You'll be safer here."
With that, Karimu and Wivu started to cautiously walk towards the pride of lions. Before they could, however, Amani ran up to her mother, tears rolling from her ears and licked her mother's leg. Karimu responded with a maternal lick across the cub's back, a single tear rolling down her own cheek. Kuwinda licked this tear off of the lioness' face, slightly emotional herself.
"Stay safe." Her body quivered, trying to hold her mind stable. She had already lost her mate. She couldn't lose her sister-in-pride too. Karimu returned the lick, smiling at her friend. She gave one final look at her daughter, possibly the last time she would see her, and turned, heading off to confront the Pride.
Karimu and Wivu slowly approached the pride of lions, their hearts beating faster and faster with every step. As they approached, the commanding roar of a male lion boomed across the land. Instinctively, they ducked to the earth, peeping over the shallow hill at the land beyond. The roar sounded familiar to Karimu, but it couldn't be… Could it?
"Enough!" The familiar male charged at another cowering male. Karimu scanned the crowd, recognising a few of the lionesses and males. They were members of the Uasi pride, or what was left of them anyway. They were just adolescent when she had left, but now, they had grown, though their bodies didn't show it much. Their malnourished, battered and bruised fur ruffled around their weak, unfocused eyes.
"How dare you try and run away from your king!" The familiar male pounced on his underling, spitting his fangs into his bare, shrunken neck. Karimu knew all too well who he was. He was the same lion that had attempted to woo her years before, going as far as to capture her, torture her and nearly take her as his. Back then, she had Kopa to leap in and save her. But now…
She had become strong.
"Baya!" Karimu roared, arising from the shallow hill. She stood proud as the male lions stared up at her, surprisingly unsurprised by her presence. Baya let the weaker male go, as he approached, smirking gently up at the Uasian princess.
"Well, well, well…" Karimu held her ground as he approached the bottom of the hill. A gush of wind blew behind as Wivu joined her. Both lionesses glanced down at the 'king' before them, accompanied by a just as ferocious male beside him. "...if it isn't the beautiful Uasian Princess!"
"Mmm, I wonder if she's just as… succulent as before!" The other male hummed, slurping his tongue around his lips as he did so. He started to move closer, slowly ascending the hill, only halted by Baya.
"Now, Kifo." The false king tutted at his younger brother, who quickly shrunk into his fur. As his brother hushed, Baya shot his attention to Karimu and Wivu, strolling up and down the side of the hill as he continued. "We wouldn't want to scare off our queen now, would we?"
"Your queen?!" Wivu erupted, stepping forward, much to Kifo and Baya's surprise. Karimu remained still and steady, ready and waiting to pounce at any second.
Her eyes flickered over at the oppressed lion and lioness watching as they re-joined the pride, nestled closeby. They all watched the confrontation, cowering in fear as the sky darkened. Karimu recognised a fair few of them, members of the Uasi pride, or what was left of it.
"Oh, I've waited oh so long for this moment." Baya responded, trotting gently up the hill, closer and closer to Karimu and Wivu. "Waited to take you as my own for oh, so long!" His smirk grew into a full-on grin as he trotted closer. Both lionesses at first held their ground, but something about him caught Karimu's eye.
His own.
A thick, glowing scar gleamed in the shallow sunlight as he approached her, seeping with a greenish hue. It looked nearly identical to Kopa's, apart from the wider shape. She didn't have much time to analyse as Baya approached, reaching striking distance.
With a crack of thunder on the horizon, Karimu swiped at the male, knocking him away as Wivu dodged a pouncing attack by his younger brother. Both lionesses quickly recovered, returning to a defensive stance along with the two males.
Baya growled at the Uasian princess, the scar across his eye glistening as he started to step closer, swaying his eyes side to side, scanning the land.
"Hmm, I wonder where your pathetic 'Mlinzi' is?" Halting mere inches from Karimu, he stood tall, flicking his eyesight back to the Uasian princess. "Oh, that's right… he's DEAD!"
Upon finishing his sentence, Baya pounced at Karimu, forcing both of them to tumble down the hill, tearing and clawing at each other's fur as they fell to the bottom. Wivu tried to fend off Kifo, who ruthlessly charged towards her time and time again, missing as she dodged his heavy attacks.
A fair distance away, the surviving members of the Uasi pride watched on, shuddering as the savage conflict brewed before them. By now, a few of the males had huddled around them, enclosing the lionesses and younger, weaker males in a confined space, their loyalty infused in the scarred eye of Baya, who even now viciously defended their honour.
As the conflict continued, Karimu and Baya found themselves staring each other down, building their frustration, their hatred for each other. The skies darkened, brewing with thunderous, green-lit clouds, encircling the ancient, crystallised monument that rested not too far away. Karimu glanced over at it as a shallowing, heartless sensation rushed through her body, nibbling at her chest as if feasting on her soul. A familiar presence beamed through this strange, ethereal connection… tortured, abused, yet still surprisingly knowable.
"Afya?" The sound of her best friend's agonising, focussed growls distracted the Uasian Princess' mind. Afya had always been there for her growing up, always there when she needed advice. Hell, she was the only one apart from Jicho who she told about her relationship with Kopa. To sense her pain, her fear…
Before she could react, Baya struck a gnashing blow at Karimu's side, grazing the cut that had already been sliced into her fur. With a screeching implosion of pain, Karimu shot up to find Baya on top of her, his body crushing her to the ground as his demonic, piercing eyes glanced down at her. His scar was now fully glowing, teeming with pure, untamed corruption.
"Mmmm, such a shame you had to lose, your majesty." He grinned down at her, gritting his teeth in pure rage as he stood proudly above her. The troubling cries of Wivu shook through Karimu's ears as she noticed a flash of fur fall to the ground beside her.
Kifo had overpowered the huntress, knocking her head to the ground until she was unconscious. With a demonic cackle, Baya moved his claw to Karimu's chin as tears started to pour from her face.
"Nighty night, my little queen." Baya sneered. Before she could retaliate, he lifted her head, before slamming it back down on the hard, dry ground.
Karimu felt the light seep from her body, all sense of hope lost as she faded into the land of dreams and nightmares. Now with Karimu unresponsive, Baya clambered off her, slowly dragging her back to the Uasian Tower, for who knew what.
Whatever it was though, it would not be pretty…
